Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 to launch today: Here's all you need to know

The fourth smartphone in the design-oriented range from Xiaomi, the Mi MIX 3 integrates a slider for the front camera.

When Xiaomi first introduced its Mi MIX smartphone two years ago, it was considered pioneering design. The phone did away with the top bezel entirely, allowing the screen to stretch all the way till the top edge. This design innovation continued even with the Mi MIX 2 and Mi MIX 2S. However, the smartphones featured one big compromise; the front camera was at a rather awkward position at the bottom of the phone.

Xiaomi will finally offer a fix to that with the Mi MIX 3, which is set to launch today at an event in China. The company’s latest flagship smartphone will also be its most capable yet, and leaked renders and reports have given away a fair amount of what to expect from the new smartphone. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Xiaomi Mi MIX 3.

Slider for the front camera

While the Xiaomi Mi MIX range thus far has had the front camera at the bottom of the screen, the Mi MIX 3 finds a way to bring it back to the top without losing out on the all-screen look or integrating a notch. The front camera setup will be placed on a manual slider, which can be quickly and easily pushed out when needed.

With this, the camera pops out when you need to take pictures, and can be put away when not needed, with the screen covering practically the entirety of the front of the device. And as teased by Xiaomi, the front will sport a dual-camera setup, with a 24-megapixel primary shooter.

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Specifications

Although you would expect that the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 would run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, we could see a surprise here. The device could be the first to run on the successor to the Snapdragon 845, which is tentatively being called the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150. This new chipset could be manufactured on the 7nm fabrication process, and also integrate a 5G modem for next-generation voice and data connectivity.

Not just that, but the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 could push RAM to a new high. The device could come with 10GB RAM on its top-end variant, along with up to 512GB of storage. The phone could also come with a larger 3,850mAh battery, along with a dual-camera setup at the back sporting a 16-megapixel primary sensor and 20-megapixel secondary sensor for depth-effect and lossless zoom. Video recording at 960fps has also been touted. Additionally, the phone will likely launch with MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie.

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Screen

The signature feature of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 will be its screen. Thanks to the design, the phone will push the screen-to-body ratio further than it’s even been, with practically no non-screen space at the front save for a slim chin area.

The phone could sport a 6.4-inch full-HD+ screen with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and no notch means that there won’t be typical issues with how apps reach to the screen cutout. For now, it isn’t clear how the phone will integrate biometric authentication; it could be using face unlock, or a fingerprint sensor could be integrated into the screen, as is expected on the OnePlus 6T.

Availability

Today’s launch is taking place in Xiaomi’s home market of China, and the phone will likely be launched there first. Going by trends, Xiaomi could also bring the Mi MIX 3 to India some time in November. Pricing will be critical, and Xiaomi could price the phone at under Rs 40,000 for the base variant if it is launched here. The higher variants could see the price go closer to Rs 50,000, although it’s likely that Xiaomi will launch only one or two variants in India rather than the entire range.